Judges commended the City for creating a unique, surprising, functional and totally engaging public park.

SYDNEY.-The City of Sydney was awarded Australia's most prestigious urban design award for excellence for the restoration of Paddington Reservoir Gardens.

The 'Australian Award for Urban Design' highlights design excellence and innovation in the built environment and acknowledges the critical role of good urban design in the development of our cities and towns.

"We are very proud of The City's restoration of Paddington Reservoir Gardens - injecting life into the historic site and providing this inner city community with vital new open space and a new cultural facility," Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said.

Judges commended the City for creating a unique, surprising, functional and totally engaging public park that has captured the imagination of residents and visitors.

The City's Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan was awarded a commendation for its comprehensive, focused and well-structured framework. Judges said the vision is exciting and innovative and successfully converts complex, strategic planning issues into detailed and well illustrated urban design solutions.

The coveted awards were presented by Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett at a presentation dinner in Canberra.

Hosted this year by the Planning Institute of Australia, The Australian Award for Urban Design was created by Prime Minister Paul Keating's Urban Design Task Force in 1996 to recognise new urban design projects of high quality, and to encourage cities and towns of all sizes to strive for improvement.